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Coronavirus Transition to a New Normal

Wed, 08 Jul 2020 07:00:00 GMT

Coronavirus has turned our lives upside down, leaving many feeling restless with the chaos, adjustments and uncertainty. Last week I found myself comparing our situation to what happens when people transition overseas. When missionaries leave their passport country for a different country and culture, it can be years before they can go home to embrace loved ones again, celebrate birthdays together or visit Grandpa and Grandma.

In missionary care, I assist missionaries in their journey to “cross the bridge” into a new country and culture and face the major changes and challenges of transition. We use a simple illustration of a transition bridge.

Missionaries leave the familiarity and comfort of home. In crossing the bridge, they let go of belonging and being known. They can feel guilty leaving family and experience sadness with each “goodbye” as they step into the unknown. In the middle of the bridge, they experience confusion, lack of structure, stress and fear of the future. On the other side of the bridge, they face marginality, feeling misunderstood and have difficulty trusting. With risk-taking, there may be fear and pain. However, in time, they feel they have landed in a new “home” country, adapting to and accepting the “new normal.” A new beginning is difficult, but with adjustments and dedication comes belonging. With greater involvement in the new environment, comes a sense of home, position and new possibilities. The "old normal" has been replaced by the "new normal." The bridge has been crossed!

We can also cross the bridge and transition well through the coronavirus situation.

With trial and error, laughter and tears, we’re staying at home as requested. We celebrate birthdays and other occasions as if our family and friends live in another country. FaceTime and Skype help us be “together” even when we can’t be in the same room. We get creative “visiting” with Grandpa and Grandma through their living room window. Homeschooling, along with structure, perseverance and extra coffee has become the usual routine. Shopping for groceries also feels like a cross-cultural experience – good luck finding toilet paper!

This is now our reality, and it is stressful; we have lost freedom and can’t go anywhere we want, like church or to have coffee with friends. Everything that once seemed normal is on hold. We didn’t know we would miss our daily routine so much, and even the kids ask when they can go back to school!

Everyone is experiencing this crisis differently, but there are resources and opportunities to care for yourself and others. Despite the separation, can we see this as a bonus to enjoy time for ourselves and unexpected rest? Can we be creative and make the most of it by connecting via the internet, staying in touch, and caring and praying for each other?

Together with God, we can bridge this crisis. Dear people, press on. Soon we’ll be able to fly the coop. And before you know it, you’ll be able to embrace your friends and family again.

Jolanda blevins

extroverted encourager & coffee drinker

Seasons Change

Fri, 02 Dec 2016 08:00:00 GMT

Fall is my favorite time of year!
It’s actually the only season of the year that I wish would last longer! I think it may be the crispness that is in the air that rejuvenates, and the abundance of fresh vegetables, and apples available. A few years ago during the fall, my sister and I canned some vegetables from our parent’s garden together, and I fell in love with the process. I now try to can seasonal fruits and vegetables when I am able.

I am currently living with a friend who puts my canning and preserving skills to shame! Each week, it seems there is a new fruit or vegetable that she is drying, making into soups to freeze, or canning. Other vegetables that don’t preserve well, are used as they are harvested so none are wasted. I am learning so much about everything that relates to this from her, and it’s been a joy and pleasure!

On Sunday at church, my pastor talked about entering into new seasons and shifting our mindsets and thinking. This reminded me of how my friend is shifting to a new season. Over the summer, she had planted her garden, weeded, cared for, protected, and watered it. It flourished under her care, providing her with a multitude of fresh vegetables and greens for nourishment. Now that summer is over and the last of the vegetables have been harvested, it’s time to prepare for the winter. As a gardener, she understands that some of the plants she cared for so intentionally this summer will die and that she will have to replace them with new, and maybe different plants in the spring. She also knows which plants will replicate themselves and grow again in the spring.

I think there is wisdom in this process that applies to all of us, gardeners or not. As we enter into new seasons of life, work, ministry, family, or church, do we know how to transition into the new season? What fruits of the previous season does God want us to preserve that will bring us nourishment in the next season? What areas of growth have provided us with nourishment during this season that God is now telling us to let go of to make room for new growth in a future season? And, what areas of growth and revelation will replicate themselves and grow again in the new season?

There is also something about the old falling away to make room for a season of rest that prepares for new growth. Without the Fall, there would be no Spring because the trees and plants would be holding onto what had grown the year before, and there would be no room for new growth.

As leaders, whether supervisors, parents, friends, or mentors, we need to be aware of the seasons we are in, and the seasons we are entering. We need wisdom that comes from hearing God and listening to His direction regarding those seasons. We need His direction as we transition into new seasons, so we are able to lay down, or preserve things in a previous season to take into the new season.

Katy

Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

All things to all men

Tue, 04 Oct 2016 07:00:00 GMT

“Kevin, you are all things to all men.”

I thought, “What a nice thing for him to say”, but he wasn’t giving me a compliment. You see, everything that came my way was another thing to do. The immediate need became my immediate focus. I felt that I needed to fix it because I was the leader. And the other things that I had started got put off to the side. By the end of the day I was tired, having accomplished little. I was in crisis management, quickly heading towards burn out. Sorry, but this is a very easy place for leaders to get to, especially in pioneering.

I can picture Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law watching Moses and thinking the same thing. I love how the Message puts Exodus 18:17-18. “This is no way to do it. You’ll burn out and the people right along with you.” Did you notice the phrase “and the people right along with you”? Not only do we hurt ourselves when we don’t stay focused, but we tend to burn out those around us.

Another time the same friend said, “Why are you avoiding people?” He continued, “I have watched you over the years and you’ve always had people around you. Either a bunch of them were asking question or you were just having fun together. But people were always by you. Now you are walking most of the time by yourself.” I had to admit he was right. Whenever two or three people would come towards me I wanted to run, because I saw it as another potential problem. My lack of empowering and releasing others in their roles and not setting personal boundaries and focus, was now affecting my family and staff.

Jethro was willing to speak truth into a man he loved and was concerned for. Thankfully, like Moses, I had someone around me who was willing to say. “You need to stop, refocus, and set boundaries.” Sue and I debrief so many leaders who are at burn out. The number one thing that we have noticed is that many of them do not have that person in their lives who will say, “Slow down” or even, “Stop!”

Moses listened to his father-in-law, and from that encounter he began to empower others to do the things that needed to be done. He was challenged to teach and train others so they could become leaders. And the nation of Israel benefited. But first Moses had to be willing to listen to wise council from someone who loved him and his family and believed in his leadership and ministry.

As leaders, we need to look for men and women who love us and want what is best for us and are willing to tell us of areas to watch out for. And as leaders we need to trust those who are on our team. We must train and release them. When we do that well, our ministries and staff will grow and we as leaders will be healthy.

What do I do with the fear of failure?

Wed, 14 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMT

The longer I live the more I see that our lives are filled with failures. Tony Dungy says it this way, “ I am often introduced today as one of only three people to win a Super Bowl as a player and as a head coach. What they don’t say is that there were twenty-seven straight seasons that ended in disappointment between those two Super Bowl wins”1 He goes on to say “Success is really a journey of persistence and perseverance in spite of failure”2
John Maxwell in his book Failing Forward makes the observation that it is not the idea of if we will fail, it is more the question when will we fail? Everyone will fail. The key is how we move on from our failure.

Tony Dungy also says, “To truly accomplish your goals, I think failure has to be viewed as part of the process. Thomas Edison said that he didn’t fail repeatedly, he merely found ten thousand ways not to make a light bulb.”3

We all are faced with failure, or the fear of it, especially if we are in a place of leadership. Leading will involve risk. Do our past failures lead us to say, “I never want to try that again,” and do use that mindset to discourage others? Or do we use our past failures as learning experiences in moving forward?

I recently talked to a man who was still living “on the edge” in his early 70’s. He is always trying new things, constantly pushing for new ways of doing things. Someone asked him one day, “Why do you care? Why are you taking another risk? When are you going to retire?” His response was, “If I am still breathing and have my mind to think clearly, then I better be pushing and moving forward, because that is how God created me. He did not create me to just sit but to move.” That was so challenging to me, because at the time I was faced with what I thought was another big step in faith, and I was really counting the risks of failure. I am not saying don’t count the risk (cost), because God will use that factor many times in direction setting; but that should not be the only gauge.

As leaders we must be willing to move into new areas and to challenge and encourage those around us to do the same. Let’s not allow past failures to determine our future.

Is my Team Just Like Me?

Wed, 24 Aug 2016 07:00:00 GMT

“If you deal with every customer in the same way, you will only close 25 percent to 30 percent of your contacts because you will only close one personality type. But if you learn how to effectively work with all four personality types, you can conceivably close 100 percent of your contacts.”

I know John Maxwell is talking about selling a product, but I started to think – don’t all leaders sell a product? Whether we are in sales, management of people, or sharing the gospel, we all are selling a product. How many of us as leaders interact with others from within our personality comfort zone? We tend to socialize with, hire, and enjoy working with people like ourselves, since they think like us and act like us.

When we only gravitate towards inviting people like ourselves onto our team, we miss many of the gifts, talents, and personalities that we need to make our leadership more effective. A commonly heard phrase in leadership circles is to “staff your weaknesses”. We need to understand that in order for a company to grow we need to bring in people that can do things that we as the leader might not be good at. Usually when we consider this we are talking about a skill or talent, not necessarily a personality.

What would our team look like if we sought to add people with varying personalities to it, as well as with differing talents? The more I learn about personalities the more I understand that different personalities perceive situations differently. Since we have started looking at the personality profiles of our team members, we have found that our team includes individuals with 3 personality types. Working with our team has highlighted to me the benefit of and need for seeking out other people’s perspectives. I recently listened to a clip from a man who had worked for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush. He basically said President Reagan was a great leader because he hired people who thought differently than himself. President Reagan would say, “I need to hear your ideas, coming from your perspective to lead this nation well. I want to hear your opinions; feel free to share them, we need that. When we walk out of here we must all be on the same page in sharing where we are headed, but in this room share it all, and let us look at the whole plate.”

As good leaders we must seek to effectively work with all four personality types and recruit them for our team. This will help our ministry or business grow, and it will accomplish more than possible without these differences. It will also help us to grow as individuals.

The more I seek to understand others the better person I will be.

Leadership for a New Course

Fri, 22 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT

This last week in the United States has been marked by the Republican National Convention, where the candidate representing the Republican Party at our Presidential election in November is announced and officially begins campaigning for the Presidency. Next week the Democratic Party gets their turn, wrapping up the conventions for the two major political parties.

Two main themes tossed around this week have been “Making America great again,” and “New leadership for a new course.” As the US prepares for a shift in leadership this year, I am reflecting on what this means, and what this might look like.
I find it amazing how God becomes so relevant in the middle of my normal Bible reading schedule. This morning I was reading from Luke 22:24-30
It’s the Passover, the most important holiday for the Jewish people. Picture all the preparations that were required for that meal. A location was necessary, the lamb had to be purchased, and killed. Wine and bread had to be prepared, the right cups laid out, special candles set in place, and the list goes on. So Jesus sends Peter and John ahead of the rest of the group with the instructions to get all of this ready. In my mind I started to picture Christmas Eve in the States. Stores are incredibly busy, with everyone rushing out for the last minute items on their list. There is a high amount of stress because everyone wants their celebration to be perfect. I imagine when the disciples finally eat the meal together, Peter and John are pretty tired and maybe even a little stressed out. Maybe they even start to grumble under their breath about all the time and effort they have put into the meal, while no one has even thanked them for their hard work. Can you picture all the normal, fun, stressful, dysfunctional dynamics that go with family groups?
You can picture Jesus sensing all that is going on. So he does a teaching on how he is the real Passover Lamb, which, sorry to say, has no influence on them at that moment. Then Jesus drops this bombshell. “One of you is going to betray me.” I think that must have shaken them all awake, as evidenced by how everyone starts pointing their fingers at each other.
Imagine seeing them looking around and accusing each other.
“Is it you?“
And then the defensive arguments begin.
“It sure isn’t me, look at all that I have done!”
Their backs are against the wall and they had to defend themselves, and the one of the best ways to defend ourselves is by listing our achievements. “It sure isn’t me, I have done this and that.” Which rolls into “So what have you done? Come on, list it off.” You can sense the stress and competing and justifying in the atmosphere.
I love how Jesus jumps in. He begins with their lists. Then you can almost see Him shouting “But not here! My standard is a totally different way to measure. This is how I want you to look at it.” And so begins his teaching on“leadership for a new course.”
As I sat this morning reflecting I asked myself these questions:
How am I leading?
What am I modeling?
Am I trying to win, and in the process others lose?
Am I leading from tiredness, stress and hurt?
And then: What would leadership for a new course look like in my world? What do I have to do differently?

What really Matters

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 07:00:00 GMT

A few months ago I sat with a group of CEOs who were reflecting on a statement John Maxwell makes in one of his books “ A truly valuable vision must have God in it. Only He knows your full capabilities. Have you looked beyond yourself, even beyond your own lifetime as you’ve sought your vision? If not you may be missing your true potential and life’s best for you.”1

A few of these men are in the middle of the process of handing over the leadership of their companies to the next generation. Others will be starting that process in the next five to ten years. One of the topics we discussed was “looking beyond your lifetime.” The men in this room have all been successful by the standards of the world. They started their companies from nothing and all have experienced struggles in pioneering companies. All of them shared different emotions they are experiencing as they move through the process of transferring day to day leadership.

A common theme of concern was handing over leadership of a successful company to the next generation that may not have experienced the hardships and lack of money that these men sitting together had. There were a few common concerns among the men in the room.

“Will my children have the same value for people I have, when they haven’t experienced financial hardship themselves?”

“Will they be good stewards of relationships with the staff?”

“Will my children seek to understand others and act with compassion?”

As we enjoyed our coffee one man brought up a question: “Will the Christian values and generosity in giving to Christian causes that the company was founded on continue in future generations? Some of these men shared how they have laid a strong foundation in giving generously. They highlighted how they have focused in the last few years on teaching about the foundational values of the company. But the concern is still there.

Then the big question that all of these men struggled with: “What will be the legacy that I leave behind for future generations?”

All of the men agreed it was not money or the success of the business that mattered to them. It was the foundation of having God at the center of their business. Their question is pretty simple – “Have I modeled Christ to those around me?”

Then a few of them shared how they wished they could do some things over again.

The room became pretty quiet for a few minutes as they all focused on the mug of coffee in their hands.
Then one shared, “I wished I had managed my time better. Not having put the business first. Looking back all of the long hours at work aren’t so important now.”
Many heads began nodding in sad agreement.

During this gathering, I experienced what John was talking about in his book “Teachability—to keep leading, keep learning”. I put the art of listening into practice that day and I learned a lot about leadership. These men, who are all successful businessmen by the world’s standard, shared with each other and me what was on their hearts. They shared what was truly important in regard to being a leader.

If I could summarize their realizations about leadership:

It is not money or the gain of things that mattered to them. Did they model Jesus in the world they were put in?
Did they value people above things?
Did they lay a good foundation for future generations to follow?
Did they lead well?

Leadership and Biking

Fri, 24 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT

A few years ago I was able to help my 4 year-old granddaughter learn to ride a bicycle. By the end of the summer she was really confident, and could ride all over her neighborhood. After having all winter off from bike riding, however, the next spring came and Madison was scared to try the bike for fear that she would fall. It took some encouraging but within an hour she was up and riding again with ease.

Like Madison, I learned to ride a bike around 3 or 4 and enjoyed riding with friends around the area I grew up in. At age 18 I took bicycle riding to a new level when I joined a riding group and rode my bicycle from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean, starting in California and ending in South Carolina. Yep, that is a long way to peddle, about 3500 miles. Through this adventure I saw much of the United States at a pretty slow pace, and I learned a lot about myself and team work.

When riding long distances there are days you physically don’t know if you will make it to the end of that day’s ride. At those times you learn to lean on your teammates. On our cross-country trip we rode in packs of 6 riders. Everyday someone different on the team would be having a hard day and the rest of the group would be there to help. One of the main ways to help each other was to let tired team members “draft” (ride in the wind suction created by others) to rebuild their energy. At the end of the day our whole group had to reach the days destination.

Isn’t this like leadership?

We knew, when riding across the US, that we wouldn’t be able to accomplish our goal alone, but would need others to journey with us. As the tasks before us grow and expand a good leader adds key people to his team, knowing that we can accomplish more with others than we can alone.
A good leader learns along the way. Like my granddaughter Madison, who had me to teach her to ride a bike, you need to learn from someone who has walked through what you are doing. Seek wise counsel and understand that there is always more to learn.
A good leader is always looking out for his team! Encouraging them in their gifts and challenging them to grow as well.

Moving Sidewalks

Fri, 17 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT

Like many missionaries, I seem to spend a lot of time in airports, which is a place where you may run into many different types of people. People watching is one of my favorite pastimes, especially while traveling.

One of my favorite places to sit in the airport is by a moving sidewalk because it is the best place to watch people. These moving sidewalks were designed to get people from one end of the concourse to the other more efficiently. Different people, however, have different views of more efficient. Some people stop walking to simply ride, deciding that getting to their destination while expending less energy is most efficient. Some people walk at their normal pace while on the moving sidewalk, and others I have seen running along the moving sidewalk. These last two groups have decided to take advantage of the additional movement forward to increase the speed at which they are able to travel.

A moving sidewalk kind of reminds me of God working in our lives. God’s heart is to continually mold and makes us into the person he designed us to be, and in that process he is always moving us forward through any situation or circumstance to reach my designed purpose.

In 2006, Sue and I were both shot by bandits while living in Trinidad and Tobago. During the process of healing physically and spiritually after this happened, I read Psalm 91 every day for over a year. I love the 1st verse, which says “Those how live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” At first, I wanted to simply sit in the shelter of the Most High.

There are times in our lives as leaders that we need to rest and be refreshed and simply sit. Rest for leaders is such an important principle in order to live well and flourish. As leaders we need to make rest a habit, and share with others how important this habit is.

After a period of rest God started to focus my attention on the second half of the first verse of Psalm 91, “In the shadow of the Almighty”. I started to realize that in order for me to stay in His shadow I need to move.

Even if someone stays in the same place, the sun continues to move, and the shadow cast by them shifts along with the sun. If I were to try and stay in their shadow, I would have to move as the Sun moves.

God wants us as leaders to move in his shadow, progressing forward in His plans and purposes. We need to trust that He continues to move us forward, no matter what, as people at the airport use moving walkways to increase their efficiency when traveling.
In leadership we need to balance rest with efficiently moving at the pace God is setting. Sometimes moving will look like rest, other times, it may involve walking or running. No matter which season we are in, we need to make sure to stay on His sidewalk because it will be the most efficient way to move forward in life and ministry.

Guidelines for a Leader (King)

Sun, 05 Jun 2016 07:00:00 GMT

As I read from Deuteronomy 17:14-20 this morning my mind went back to my Masters classes over the last few years where we studied this passage. Over the course of the program we focused on many different parts of this passage. But what stood out to me this morning as I read this again was verse 18, where God directs us that the King (leader) must make a copy of this himself.1 In his own hand writing.

When I memorize something it helps me to write it out in my own handwriting first a number of times. It is like I am using another part of my mind, instead of just listening or reading. By writing it, it becomes more a part of me. My kids tell me that I am “old school or old fashioned,” but I notice it has a much bigger impact on me if I hand write something instead of typing it on my computer.

In verse 19, it says, “he must keep a copy with him and read it daily as long as he lives.”2 I can picture God’s desire was for all of the kings to sit before they started their work day, in their quiet time to read this. “It must remain at his side at all times.”3 So that “he will learn to respect the Lord his God and obey.”4 I can almost picture God sitting on the edge of his chair looking intently into the King’s eyes and saying – Please do this and it will go well with you as a leader. Spend time with Me every day and you will do well. That way not only will you get to know me, and have access to my wisdom but you will also “not think you are better than your fellow Israelites.”5 “And change laws at a whim to suit himself.”6

What a charge to me as a leader. God’s desire for me is the same as the King. He says to me – Kevin, write this down, get it in your heart and spend time with Me. I have all the wisdom that you need to do your job. Don’t get proud and think you are better than anyone else. I have called you to serve. Be an example of Me. Don’t make rules or put things in place that take from others and line your pockets. But I will bless you as you are a blessing to others.

Then this added blessing – “and it will ensure that he and his descendent will reign for many generations.”7 If I do this, and set a proper example, not only will I lead well but also my children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren will do likewise.

Lord, help me to keep You in front of me daily!!

1Vs 18 Duet 17:14-21 Holy Bible New Living Translation (2007) Tyndale house Publishing, Carol Stream. IL 60188
2Vs 19 Holy Bible New Living Translation (2007) Tyndale house Publishing, Carol Stream. IL 60188
3Vs 18-20 The Message (2002) Eugene H. Peterson, by NavPress Publishing
4Vs 19 The Holy Bible, New Century Version (2005) Thomas Nelson Publishing
5Vs 19 The Holy Bible, New Century Version (2005) Thomas Nelson Publishing
6Vs 18-20 The Message (2002) Eugene H. Peterson, By NavPress Publishing
7Vs 20 Holy Bible New Living Translation (2007) Tyndale house Publishing, Carol Stream. IL 60188